The Next Level In Gaming

I admit it, I am now hopelessly addicted to Bejeweled. I first caught a glimpse of the game on the London underground, and peering in awe over the shoulder of my fellow commuters I was mesmerized. After receiving many an unimpressed stare from my fellow travelers in return for my wonderment, I decided that a download was finally in order. Since that day I have become addicted to Bejeweled to the point that when I close my eyes all I see are lines of gems. I like shiny things, even virtual shiny things, enough said. In an aim to justify my hours spent quite unsociably glued to the game, I have decided to pass on some of the tips I have picked up from my many hours of gem hunting.

Though the originally Bejeweled has now been transformed into Bejeweled Blitz (and many other variations online) for me the action is very much still in the original game, specifically in Diamond Mine. Why you ask? Well I am a speed freak and I like a challenge. Being limited to a minute really doesn’t do it for me and when it comes to blowing up gems I’m in for the long haul. The below tips are therefore based around the fast paced Diamond Mine game, but for the most part can also be applied to the other versions of the game where speed is key such as Bejeweled Blitz.

Tip 1 – Go before Go

We all know the drill from childhood races, its ready…steady…Go! Right? Wrong. In the Diamond Mine or Blitz versions of the game it pays to start before the game tells you to go. It may only save you a second but I find starting the game as soon as the gems appear will help you to get a head start on the grid and maximize your time. I am not sure which I prefer more, the extra time itself or the sense of smug stratification I get by getting a cheeky head start and getting away with it. Ether way going before the ‘go’ is always an epic win.

Tip 2 – Slide to success

Now for an obvious one. Slide don’t tap. Now this may seem like a tip so blatant that even the smallest child would laugh at me for mentioning it, but seeing as I am forever seeing people on the tube tapping to exchange gems instead of sliding I had to include it. Now you could argue that the difference in timing between a tap and a slide is minimal, but in a game where time is everything every fraction of a second will count meaning that the difference between a tap and a slide could be the difference between death and glory. I personally also feel that to slide is a much more controlled motion making the gameplay also feel calmer and therefore more fluid. To sum up, don’t be a fool with the jewels, slide don’t tap!

Tip 3 – All clear

Time for a tip specific to the Diamond Mine game. As you may know the aim of the Diamond Mine game is to dig to the set depth within the time limit set uncovering treasure as you go. Though the game only requires you to dig to the line to progress, my advice in the early stages of the game is to aim for all clear. Not only will clearing all of the gems on the screen (above and below the line) give you great level progress, it also gives you a massive 70 second time bonus. Now sometimes you can clear the mine just by using special gems and blind luck but there are a couple of things you can do to help towards your goal of all clear. The first thing to do is to keep on working even after you have cleared the level. Even though you may have reached your goal, as long as you keep moving and clearing gems the game will allow you to keep playing until you have reached your goal. Speed here can be the key as move too slowly and the game will scroll down to the next level and you will have lost your opportunity. The second tactic I have found useful is to work one side of the grid down to the ground and then clear the remaining blocks together at the end. This can be tricky to do, but if timed right can work really well. Of course if tactics are not really your thing and you are the lucky kind you can always match two Hypercubes together clearing the entire screen instantly and earning yourself the Annihilator badge. An impressive title, but hey, this is an impressive achievement.

Tip 4 – Know your enemy

Now to talk about the later stages of the game when things get really difficult. Once you get beyond about 200 feet into the Diamond Mine pesky little cubes will start appearing which can only be destroyed by using special gems. These Lava like cubes, pictured below, must be hit hard with fire or electricity and the further into the game you get the more of them you will come across. Though it can be difficult to control when and where the special gems will fall, I find that it can be helpful to make a mental note of which color gems these annoying indestructible blocks are next to when they first appear at the start of each level. If you make a mental note of what color you are aiming to destroy whilst the level is scrolling up (whilst you cannot move) you will not have to waste time looking across the screen to see what color you are aiming to blast when a Hypercube does come your way. I have found this technique saves me valuable time, and in these games a fraction of a second can be all it takes to meet or miss your next time bonus. Though this tip seems Diamond mine specific it can also be applied to other game modes such as Blitz. If you make a mental note of any dominant colors or lines that are forming whilst the game is scrolling you can make more use of the special gems without loosing valuable seconds deciding what (or what not) to target. It is also worth noting that it is not always the most dominant color which is best to target with the Hypercubes. Lots of gems of one color on the grid means that there is a higher chance of more special gems forming, and so sometimes it is often better to remove one of the lesser colours in order to bring large numbers of the same color together to be destroyed later. Pick your tactics well and know your enemy, that’s my advice.

Tip 5 – Don’t think, Do

Finally perhaps the most important tip for this game, Don’t think about it, just do it. I find that thinking too much about making clever moves and creating Hypercubes can often be counter productive, wasting valuable time and causing disruption to the flow of the game. Some of the best games I have had have happened when I have just put my headphones on, zoned myself out, and made the matches as and when I see them. Overall its best to try to keep the game in constant motion as this leads to more special gems and more options, but if you get stuck don’t panic. It’s often better to use the hint button when you first find yourself stuck and recover your rhythm more quickly than fall into blind panic. After all they do say that pride often goes before a fall.

Upon compiling this list of tips I realized that enthusiasm for Bejeweled is more widespread than I ever really realized. Upon confessing my own addiction several people offered up their own tips regarding other game modes. My favorite tip came from a friend of mine who favors the Classic mode, and here it is.

Bonus guest Tip: In Classic mode aim for the top

Annina shares with us her Classic mode skills, telling us that if you want to rule Classic mode then it pays to aim for the top. Unless you see special gems try to start making your matches at the top of the grid and work your way to the bottom. By starting at the top you can make sure that new gems are constantly coming your way and I am told this will make your game last longer and your scores higher.

I must go now as it has been 3 hours since my last game and I am starting to experience withdrawal. I hope that these tips have aided you in your Gem hunting adventures but if not perhaps you have your own tips which you would like to share with the rest of us. If this is the case then please get in touch, we would love to hear them! Until then my personal addiction continues, happy gem blasting everyone!

Until next time,

24

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Bejeweled and Bejeweled Blitz are available now for iPhone and iPod touch

Additional versions 2 and 3 available for PC, Mac, Nintendo DS and Android.

PopCap Games

www.popcap.com

GuitarGirl24 On April - 23 - 2012

33 Responses so far.

I’m playing Diamond Mine on the original Bejeweled on an iPad.
For the last few months I was getting an extra 30secs offered whenever I ran out of time. I thought this was a feature of an update and found it made the game much more enjoyable.
Now, the extra time has disappeared. I’m not sure what happened!
Is there any way to bring back the extra time option?

I love this game. My all time HIGH score on ICE STORM is 3Million It is a very hard game for most but not me!!! That one is on Bejeweled 3, and on Diamond Mine 1.565Million as these games are great. Oh on lightning 1.8 Million. I actually do better on Ice Storm. It is the most challenging game out of all of the Bejeweled games. If your a Diamond Mine Lover then you will also love ICE STORM!!! Try It.

I have answered my own question. Playing diamond mine today I found a “legendary jewel”, although I scored only 1.4 million and didn’t get the mysterious frog. I have scored a lot higher for months and never found the jewel, just the frog, so there must be some very random element in the programming.

Sorry, I don’t know. I have been using an iMac for the last four years. I finally managed over two million with the legendary gem, but I think at least two or three bits of luck are necessary in the form of supernovas, all clears and adjacent hypercubes. It’s one of those games which loses its charm beyond a certain level, with nothing new happening; rather like Plants versus Zombies. Once you get through a few hundred levels of Survival Endless or a hundred streaks of Vasebreaker working in the garden or playing the piano have a lot more point.

Is there anything deeper than the mysterious frog, or did the programmers tire at that point ? I can consistently get between one and two million but just end up with the mysterious frog.

Also, in lightning, what exactly causes things to catch alight ? Sometimes I go very quickly and nothing happens, and sometimes the screen bursts into flames with hardly any effort. And What resets the timer and gives you more sessions ? I can get very good scores now but it all seems to be a matter of luck to a great extent. Unless there is some trick I am missing.

My wife and I have been playing Diamond mine for close to a year. My top ten scores are all over 1M with my highest score being $1,495,000. I can not seem to get past the $1.5M mark like my wife has done at just over $1.5M. As to the web high scores I believe those are all fake. I have been on roles where I had almost five minutes built up and still can’t break that $1.5M mark. I do like the tip about starting before go, I am going to try that as soon as I finish here. One tip that I would add is turning off the sound. While I miss the explosions I do not miss the music, after a while it just started wearing on me. Another tip that I would pass along is that there are patterns in where special cubes pop up and I always try and set up one over or next to where I know another one is coming. It does not always work out but when it does, well, you know. I do find that sometimes I move just a tad to fast and miss chances at staking the power cubes because I moved to quickly and missed my opportunity. Good Rhythm>Raw Speed

Hi there!
I’ve been trying for a while to find on the internet a kind of official ‘world record’, but to no avail…
I wanted to compare my ‘Diamond Mine’-addict highest score (which is 2, 700,000) to other gamers around the globe I’m no geek, I’m just crazy about this game, so I thought it would be funny if I were in -let’s say – the 50 best player
If any of you has any idea about where to find this kind of info, that would be awesome!
Thanks in advance!

I am also curious about what a top (legitimate) scores list would look like. My top score in diamond mine is 4,916,000, as of 5 minutes ago. So of course, my new goal is 5 million. I think that at a certain point, the game stops getting harder, and its all about endurance and staying in the zone!

Don’t feel bad about your low scores. I just started Diamond Mine four days ago and my high is 289,000. I will follow up with a lousy score of 35,000. No idea how some get over 1 million or why my scores fluctuate so much. I’m having fun though. I will read the tips and keep trying.

I have been playing bejeweled blitz for years.. sometimes sit for 4-5 hrs playing(only on free days… which i have very few of)… I realize this is quite excessive for a game that only lasts 1 minute..
I was at school recently, someone asked if anyone could beat their highscore in bejeweled. I told him I’d try.. of course he didn’t mention he was playing diamond mine.. which i had never played before.
the first 2 games I really had no idea what was going on, then had to stop to ask what the goal was.
my third game I scored 883550, then had to leave to get to my next class.
Can’t wait to go to school tomorrow and actually crush his highscore…
Just like to know other people out there are addicted to the game as well.
My all time highscore on blitz was like 1,200,000 can’t really remember exactly right now..
It’s cool that u give out tips though.. that last one, that the girl posted, is semi true, whenever you aim for gems at the top it can be benificial, but mostly at the beggining of the game, because you can get a significant speed jump. hitting the high gems wont change any combos you see below, so while you wait for all of the new gems on top to fall into place you can attack the bottom really fast, by that point the gems all fall at a faster rate.

oh yeah.. another key tip..
I’ve noticed that the game can actually keep track if you make “mistakes” frequently or infrequently.
whenever you aim for better accuracy the game rewards you with better set ups of gem combos.
so whenever u get to those places where you have only 1 move over and over again, accuracy is key to getting you back out of that rough patch.. of course, accuracy with speed helps you as well

Good tips my man, I’d like to think of myself as an expert on diamond mine my two highest scores are over 1 million, the one problem I get when checking the leaderboards on Game Center is that at least the first 100 people are cheating there’s no way they have scores over 100 million. Does anyone know how high the legitimate scores go?

Thanks for commenting, it sounds like you have some great high scores! My top scores are also over 1 million but sadly I do not know if the leader board scores are legitimate, and if not how high the top scores of other players go.

If anyone out there knows more I would also be interested to hear! (and even if you don’t, feel free to comment with your own top score!)

Thanks for the tips! Every once in a while I get a giant explosion and I have not been able to figure out what I dot that caused it. It looks like the electric gems only on a much larger scale and seems to explode it least three rows up and three rows down. I would love to fund out how this happens. Thanks!

It could maybe be a supernova gem? In some of the games when falling gems create a row of six of the same color they create a huge explosion that takes out multiple rows and surrounding gems. Its hard to tell for sure but this is one of the more unpredictable gems and it sounds a bit like what you are describing.

Try playing with your spouse! My wife & I will play together, she has one side of the screen and I have the other. We have reached 1,190,000 on Diamond Mines. We play on our iPads, I find the screen to small on the iPhone.

Thank you so much for the tips!! Most of them I had an idea and was already aplying them before, but now I’m going to try the slide thing, because I’m stuck in 900k and my goal is at least the million xD unluckily for me I play on my iPhone and it just sucks the battery so fast!! U.u anyway, thanks again! Greetings from Mexico!!